Friday, April 27, 2007

Shake it Like a Polaroid Picture

One day Jackson will be old enough to finally ask that dreaded question - "Mom? Dad? Can we camp out in front of Walmart tomorrow night and be the first to buy that brand new $400 video game system?" As I begin to form an answer to this pivotal question, I will draw from the years of my childhood when I did my fair share of playing Nintendo and Sega Genesis. With my dad, mind you. You are talking to a Tetris, Dr. Mario, Contra, and Super Mario 3 hero. Curt's grandparents keep an old Nintendo in their guest room and I never fail to challenge the cousins to a few games. One thing that helps a lot when it comes to video games like Mario Bros. is knowing where the warp zones are. Well, folks, I found a warp zone today. In real life.

I took my oh so adorable son to get his second haircut. I've been meaning to do it for several months, but every time I get ready to, he has a fabulous hair day and I change my mind. Finally today I pumped myself up for it. You know, the first time was really hard for me. I was sad for a couple of days. This time, thank You Lord, he's older and the big boy haircut fits. He looks adorable. But that's not my point.

So the salon is run by a woman who is Ms. Lippy in the flesh. (Billy Madison, anyone? Paste? On the face?) Things are a little...off. When another employee takes Jackson I'm relieved because that means the conversation will not be bizarre. Right? RIGHT? This stylist is very nice. She takes a picture of me and Jacks at the end and spends at least three long minutes shake it, shake, shake it, shaking it like the Polaroid picture that it is. Then I say something about church which leads her to say, "Oh, you're a Christian? Well that makes sense because there was a lot of activity in the picture. That's why I kept it from you so long. I didn't want to freak you out."

Hmmmmmm. WHAT?

"There were faces all around you in the picture while it was developing. I've never seen that much activity before."

You've got to be kidding me. What do you even say to that? All I can muster is, "Are you a Christian?" You know I had to ask that because I wanted to give her the opportunity to tell me if she was a witch or something. Turns out she's a believer. The "faces" finally disappear and she hands the photo to me. All I see is a perfectly normal picture of me and my son. I am now quite ready to warp out of this twilight zone. I pluck my child out of the chair and march over to the counter to pay, playing it off like the other customers did not overhear everything. Three fifths of me was thinking this crazy woman misinterpreted the cloudiness that initially covers all Polaroids, one fifth of me was struck utterly senseless by the astonishingly bizarre conversation I just had with a complete stranger in a hair salon, and the remaining fifth of me really wanted to know if they were good faces or bad faces!

Congrats on getting up the nerve to get a big-boy haircut for your baby. My daughter is almost 2 and a half, and I still can't bring myself to go to the cute kid's hair place down the street. It may take even longer now that I know about the faces!

PS - I loooooove playing Tetris. I have a really old gameboy (I think it's black and white) and the only game is Tetris. That way I can sit on the couch next to my husband while he is watching a boring baseball game, but we still get to be together. :)

Girl...unbelievable...I will always remember the Twilight Zone haircut with Ms. Lippy as the salon manager. Maybe I'll stop back in and have her take a polaroid picture of me, and see what kind of "activity" I've got goin' on!You told it perfectly!

As I was beginning to read your post, I was thinking that I was going to ask you where you get Jackson's haircut because Joshua really needs one! But, I think I may look for a different one. I don't know if I can have that conversation!

Also, if you need a Mario fix, I stole our old Nintendo from my parents house so I can play Mario.

I will never forget that conversation. It was possibly the most bizarre 5 minutes I have ever experienced! I'm so glad I was there to witness it or I would never have understood the craziness of it! Always fun memories!

I am laughing so hard... how strange. At least you handled it and got out of there- I probably would be asking a million questions! Where is a pic of the new haircut? We have to see Mr. Handsome! Sara is sitting with me while I am wrtiting this and she loved the pics of Jackson from the last blog- she keeps saying "mommy, I play with baby!" Have a great day- hopefully the rest will go "warp-zone" free!-Jackie

Strange very strange. First, I think I would have had to remove little bit from the scene and then I guess I would have had to ask her some questions. That was a wild conversation I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall.

ah yes. grandma does have quite the little game collection in that back room. so many fun times right there. but i have to let you know, we've been distracted from the old nintendo lately... because andy bought a game called donkey konga. you and curt definitely need to play this one. it's great entertainment.

BTW, I just beat Super Mario Bros. 4 on my son's gameboy...pitiful, I know. I'm a game nut! I always beg everyone to play a game with me. We looked for fourteen years for a game we played in college called "Whodunit." We stopped at every toy store and "old" toy store and flea market. Finally, I found it on ebay and got it for Chris for Christmas a couple of years ago. What fun! It's like Clue but more difficult.

Have such a great week, Amanda! Praying for your FAM.Love in Him,Holly

PS Monday I will post a few more pics of our 1854 home with a fun story.

Besides a baby, what pregnant women get in return for surrendering their waistlines is nine months of thick, glorious hair. It’s a beautiful thing. However, when Baby is just a few months old (about the time Mommy is seeing hints of her returning waistline) it all falls out. Soon her face is framed by the re-growth—lovely inch-long hairs called baby bangs. This blog is named for that charming little phenomenon.